The Failed Mission
by WaveSplash
Summary: A young Snivy, who lives in a world where Pokemon act as humans, has worked as a spy for the past couple of years. Mission after mission he avoided having to kill anyone, but what happens when it is his objective to eliminate a young Vulpix from a rival company. Perhaps she has some secrets of her own. (Told from Leafstorm the Snivy's POV)
1. Begin

I pushed the guard aside, they really liked having amateurs protect central computers. This job was one of my easiest yet because Mallay Co. never learned to hire better guards. They only placed more and more, which made my job even easier. I went up to the main network computer and started to get to work. Mr. Garry had instructed me to take their newest technology plans. I input the password I had taken from the head guard and gave myself access to their information. I plugged in my memory disk, and within minutes the job was done. The new plans were mine, well they were Mr. Garry's. I slyly walked past the guards, every single one alive. For three years I had been doing job after job, avoiding killing people. If I were to kill someone I would be put higher on the wanted list and there would be a higher chance I left behind evidence. I pushed the button on my watch cloak and instantly disappeared. Even if I was transparent people could still feel and hear me. I silently walked out of the rooms and slowly made my way to the exit. An alarm went off in the building and unluckily for me a bunch of the other guards were coming my way. I used my vines to grab onto the beam above and pulled myself up. The seven guards ran past, hoping to stop the thief who they had just passed.

"They will never learn..." I muttered under my breath.

I gracefully dropped down, making as little noise as possible. I walked towards the exit, they made it to easy. I pushed the door open, only to meet a group of cops looking at the door. Three of them started to rush towards the door, investigating why it had opened. I ran to the right, putting stress on my invisibility cloak. I heard a spark and realized that I had pushed it to far this time. My silhouette could be see, and the police officers rushed towards the green and tan distortion. I dove into the alley way and turned off my cloak, If I turned it off for long enough it would reset. I looked for a good place to hide, but this alley way was mostly clear of obstructions. I only had once choice; keep running. I hoped that I could out run them long enough without being seen so. Left, right, left, left, right. My watch made the ding noise and my hand instantly went on the button.

Poof, I was gone from sight. The Espurr, Glameow, and Frogadier came to a stop.

"It went down this way right?" The Espurr asked, confused.

"I know it did!" The Glameow retorted.

"I told you nothing was here, you just got all hyped up." The Frogadier said.

The Frogadier had much more experience than the other two, but overall they were new to police work. I was lucky, they did not even walk down the dead-ended alley to check for me. I waited 5 minutes before finally turning off my cloak. They had let me slip past, and return to the place I did this morning. I walked towards the Drifblim Flying Services, preparing my Poke. I was suddenly knocked over from behind and all the first thing that went through my head was _this is the end!_.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," a feminine voice replied.

I got up and dusted myself off. "No problem," I replied.

A Vulpix of similar age had bumped into me, dropping her Poke as well. She had orange fur, like most Vulpix, but her fur was very untidy. She recollected her money, or what she thought was hers and walked past. _Strange..._ I picked up my own money and continued onward as well.

"Excuse me, but I would like to fly to Barar Street." She asked the Drifloon.

"Your short a couple of Poke." The Drifloon replied, a little bit annoyed.

I quickly cut in, "Maybe I picked yours up by accident." I held out the missing difference to her.

"Thank you so much... What's your name?"

"Leafstorm"

"Nice meeting you, I'm Flare"

Keeping up my public images pushes suspicion away from from me, they don't even think about the 'nice guys'.

"Maria, would you please take her to Barar Street." The Drifloon said very formally. "Where would you like to go sir?" He turned to me.

"If it's possible could I go to Latene Street?" I asked.

"Yes it is, go find the blue Drifblim." He replied, somewhat greedily putting the money inside.

The Drifblim simply nodded, I found myself taking this route to Taner Co. very often since it was between Mallay Co. and Taner Co. The sunset, as normal, was a beautiful orange and blue. My job was dangerous, I had to do all of the dirty work for Mr. Garry. Most of my work was just stealing and and ease dropping. I avoided having to resort to physical contact a lot, doing so would make my punishment worse if I was caught. The Drifblim landed and I got off.

"Nice to see you again Leafstorm," Shadow said, trying to wave with one of his 'arms'.

"See you again Shadow." I called, walking inside Taner Co.

I went towards the elevator, making sure that I looked casual. Joey the Umbreon came out, he was going home now.

"Bye Mr. Storm," he said, walking past me.

"You can have tommorow off." I yelled as he was about to leave the door.

"What?" He asked, confused why I was giving him the day off.

"Enjoy your daughter's birthday." I responded, smiling.

"Thank you so much." He stuttered, rushing faster out the door.

Just because I was a spy did not mean that I was cruel. At Taner Co. I was Mr. Garry's 'advisor'. The job payed well, but I never really had any friends because of it. I walked into the elevator and put my key into the slot. The elevator was now taking me to the 15th floor, or Mr. Garry's office. I walked into his room with my serious face on, making sure I looked formal.

"Good afternoon sir," I said, making my posture straight.

His chair then turned around in a cliche way and he did not look happy. He glared at me, making me feel a little uncomfortable. The Lucario walked out of his chair and stood in front of me. _Well, this ain't good _I thought to myself.

"Do you know what happened while you were gone?" He whispered to me.

"I do not know sir."

"Someone stole our files while you were gone."

"Who, how, it's not possible,"

"Today we captured an image of the infiltrator."

He put his tablet in my face and showed me said infiltrator. It was the Vulpix I had met at the Drifblim Stop between the two companies. She had some sort of cloaking watch on her arm, which reminded me of my own design.

"Eliminate her," Garry demanded.

"What?" These words came as a shock to me. _Kill? I can't though, it had to happen one day._

"Take her down, she's causing a lot of trouble."

"Umm, yea," I stammered.

The Lucario sat back in his chair and took a sip of coffee. This was my unvoiced approval to leave. I left and took the elevator down. _Kill? Death? But she seems so innocent. Remember the enemy. Who was the real enemy?_

I walked out conflicted on my orders, she was just like me playing the same dangerous game. Guilt attacked me all the way home, I couldn't just kill someone could I? I unlocked the door and went directly on my computer. I was going to find out who Flare was. Flare was scarily too much like me, she had the 'advisor' job and rarely had time for anyone else. I had searched for a while and figured out she was going to attend a meeting tomorrow for her company, since she was the advisor. I stopped and looked at the clock, I still needed to sleep at some point. I got off the computer and instantly went to bed, I had been put through a lot of stress on the eliminate subject.

~~[The Next Day]~~

I was awoken by the 'lovely' sound of an alarm clock. I always tried to wake up early, but some nights made that difficult. Surprisingly I easily got out of bed and got ready for the day ahead. The city was busy with traffic at this hour, making movement difficult. I had to walk to the hotel in which the meeting was being held. Taking any other way would make evidence the police can track. Within 39 minutes I was in front of the building, but my goal was not the front. I slipped around back and turned on my cloak. Someone had to throw away garbage at some point.

Luckily within a few minutes a janitor was taking out a bag. I slipped through the door right before it closed and proceeded to find the room her meeting was in. I had found the back door to the room, but Flare was already walking towards it before me. _No, I'm too late!_ I silently walked closer to see what she was doing. She was looking at her presentation papers, refreshing her memory on the content. Then she dropped them, creating the perfect moment to finish my mission.

I turned off my cloak, and grabbed out my butterfly knife. The blade was raised over her, but I was still conflicted. _She is just following orders. Easy mission, just with different circumstances. Just follow_ orders. I had finally made up my mind it just had to be done. Flare seemed to notice me, and slowly turned around. Within those few seconds I had once again concealed the blade and bumped into her.

"I'm really sorry about that." I said, pretending to accidentally walk into her.

"Hey, you are the guy that gave me the missing Poke yesterday." She responded, fixing her attention on me.

"Do you know where room 336 is?"

"Go to the end and take a left."

"Thanks,"

"No problem,"

I had messed up a perfect opportunity to complete my mission with no ties what so ever. I would now become a suspect when I did stab her. Since she had met me before her death I would be a very primary suspect. Now I needed to frame someone else for the crime. _What should I do know?_

I made sure I was out of sight and turned on my cloak so I could sneak back out of the building. _Why had I been so hesitant? WHY WAS I HESITANT? Why?_ I had prepared myself for this for a couple of years since one day this was bound to happen. _Why couldn't I do it?_


	2. Greetings

~~[Early Night]~~

I was still extremely confused about my hesitance. _Stupid cute Vulpix. She's not cute she is the enemy. _She was making this difficult. Every second I wasted thinking or planning was a wasted second. I needed to stop letting my mind clutter and think. I was walking along the empty street. Most people here just hated to be out late at night. "Only for the low-class" is what they argue. I always liked the darkness the night brought. It was quite relaxing and calming. The only thing that _wouIld_ make it better would be someone to hangout with. I continued to stroll down the city _strets_ until I got to Spin's Cafe. Spin the Spinda and yes; I know it's a very creative name. He gree ted me and all I did was wave back. I was one of his regulars. I came here every Friday, but today I came a bit later than normal.

"Same as usual?" He asked.

"Yup," I responded.

He went back into the kitchen. Normally, he would have some employees there, but I came later. He normally has tea ready and I think he's really going back to clean some dishes. I felt a presence behind me. Then someone suddenly bumped into me.

"Sorry about that," she said.

"No worries," I responded, turning around.

I turned to stone when I realized that the Vulpix was the one. She froze too. If she realized what I realized then she had good reason to be frozen. It was the exact same trick I used on her! She had the chance to kill me. Flare took the seat next to me and acted normal.

"We keep seeing each other," she said.

"Your skills are sharp," I said.

She nodded. "This type of job does that."

Our conversation was interrupted by Spin. He gracefully walked over and put down my tea.

"Would you like anything, miss?" He asked her.

"I'll have whatever he's having," she responded.

As soon as Spin left the room was full of tension. We were both looking down at the table and frequently glancing at each other. Paranoia hammered us both. I was scared she might jump me. I bet she was practically a robot. Most of the assassins are. If the tension was a physical thing, I would be drowning in it. Spin may have only been gone for one minute, but it felt like hours.

"Your drink," he said, placing it on the table.

She took a sip. "It actually tastes good," she said aloud. She looked kind of cute drinking the tea. It reminded me of a young child. That's how we should have been if we were normal. Sadly, we had been dragged into an art of death.

"So what is it?" She asked politely.

"What is?" I responded.

"What is the drink?"

"It's a mix of blueberry and pineapple with a lot of sugar."

"I could tell. My health is dying with every sip," she joked.

I was panicking in the back of my head. She is going to kill you. You're going to get attached to her and that will not help! However, that was the back of my mind. I ignored it most of the time.

"I like it really sweet," I said.

She nodded. "I like it that way too."

"Hey spin," I called, "Can you bring me a cinnamon roll?"

"I will," he responded.

It was just me, the enemy, and some tea, If we don't include Spin and the cinnamon roll. I found it funny that my enemy was enjoying some tea with me. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Spin placed down the cinnamon roll and bowed. He then proceeded to go into the kitchen. I split the pastry in half and offered it to her. At least she would enjoy it before she died or at least I would, right? She seemed so innocent, but don't we all.

"Here," I said.

"For me?" She asked.

I nodded. She warily took the plate with the other half and put it in front of her. She didn't dare to touch it. She must had thought that it had been poisoned or something. I cut off a piece and ate it. In response, she started to eat her own. _I must had been crazy! What the hell is this?_ The cinnamon roll tasted fine. Although, I would have preferred more glaze on it.

"I wish I made better choices," Flare sighed.

"Good thing we have more choices," I said.

"You of all people should know we only have the illusion of choice," she said grimly.

That was true. I don't want to agree, but I think the only other choice is death. So we really don't have a choice. She looked up at the moon through the window and a small tuft of fur fell out of place.

"Odd that you can even see the moon this early in the city," she said.

I nodded and took a sip of tea. "That's what I like about this place."

Both of us had finished our half of the cinnamon roll. I went up to the front counter and called for Spin.

"Spin, do you want my money or not?" I said.

He came from the kitchen and took the money from the counter. He studied it closely because he knew a con-artist when he sees one. I think he used to be a shady character before he opened the cafe. It wouldn't surprise me either.

I came back to the table. "Wanna go on a walk?"

"Umm," she said. "Only if I get to pick where we go."

"No problem," I said.

She got up and walked out. If you ask me, tea makes all problems forgotten. Neither of us remembered our missions. We walked in a weird silence. Occasionally we said something, but it was primarily walking. The longer we walked the closer we walked near each other. Did a flirt slip out of my mouth? I'm going to say that was an accident. It was all going nicely I got clumsy.

"That place is expensive," I whined.

"Don't act as if you don't have the money," she said, rolling her eyes.

I shrugged. I guess it was - I tripped on a hole in the side walk. Flare happened to trip over my vine and her butterfly knife fell to the ground. Mine had as well and I quickly grabbed it. I opened it and held it out in her direction. Unfortunately, she had her butterfly knife at the ready. Hers was in her mouth and mine was in my vine. I think ten seconds passed before either of us reacted we both took a step back. I threw mine at her. It had whizzed by her head because I missed. _Curses, you've always been a lousy shot._ She advanced on me with her knife. I had panicked and now I was going to pay the price. She was right in front of me with her knife. I quickly took the empty tin can beside me and whacked the knife out of her grasp. In response she used flamethrower. I used protect. We both paused three feet away from each other and turned away.

"I thought you were different," she growled.

"Funny how you deceived me as well," I responded.

"You deserve what's coming to you," she said.

"Too bad it won't happen."

"Who are you to have pride?"

"The last person you'll see. I guess we continue to the hunt tomorrow."

She nodded. "Watch your back."

She walked off. Her tail swishing behind her. Surprisingly, her personality wasn't half bad. Too bad we will have one less of them. All I needed to do was kill her. I started to walk home. I felt angry, confused, and lonely. It was strange. I had never felt lonely before or had I not recognized it? My thoughts were an absolute mess. I had no idea what to think or do. Luckily, I subconsciously walked home. I noticed a small note wedged in the doorway. It said "after our meeting I decided to remove the traps and let the hunt start tomorrow." I think the favor was honorable, maybe nice? I wasn't sure. I was just confused, extremely confused. I always preferred a clear head, none of this sentimental junk. _Wait, she set traps? She is such a clever jerk._ _I'll use that to justify her death._ I had a feeling she would return to Spin's tomorrow. A plan was formed in my head. I now found myself at my bed. I cured up on it and tossed the blanket over. I don't see anyway my plan can fail, but who knows. Suddenly, something in the window caught my attention. It looked like a Lucario. Did he see? Did he know? I started to panic because Mr. Gary would not be pleased. It then disappeared into the shadows of the night. I was now confused, alone, and scared. What did I have to fear? It wasn't death and it wasn't him. I was slowly drifting to sleep. My thoughts were slipping away and I feared something. My eyes finally fell, allowing me to sleep.


	3. We Meet Again

~~[Next Morning]~~

The sun bathed my room with its light. I really didn't feel like getting up. Normally, I wouldn't care about getting up early. Today was entirely different. The only plus side is that my head is finally clear. I had a plan. Too bad I wouldn't have a place to go on Fridays. I grabbed my dark blue pack and put all the necessary materials inside. She was really going to get it. I went out on a stroll, lazily walking to Spin's. I yawned from the emensce lack of sleep. Think I may have bumped into someone. Don't' think I apologized, but I should have. I walked in and she was sitting in the same place. I looked around and didn't anyone. I walked up to the counter and called for Spin.

"Hey Spin," I said.

He came from the back and greeted me. "You're back early."

I nodded. "So, when are you..."

Spin grabbed my hand and lifted it up. "You low down scoundrel. I know you're the shady type. You look like a nervous wreck."

I pulled my hand out of his grip. I should have known better. It was clear my head wasn't actually clear. He figured it out in less than a minute. I looked at Flare out of the corner of my eye. She must not have noticed me come in.

"Leaf," Spin whispered. "I'm no expert, but your skills haven't been up to par. You seem awfully distracted."

His change of heart intrigued me. Moments ago he seemed mad. "I'm not," I said.

"That girl has you so distracted," he calmly said.

"No," I replied. I could feel heat in my cheeks.

"Good thing you're distracting her just as much," he laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "What with the sudden change of heart?" I asked.

He laughed. "I was once an assassin myself you see."

"How come I don't believe you?"

He moved his face closer to mine and picked up a knife. "I suggest you stop before it's too late."

"Already is."

"It's never too late. You just need an opportunity."

I scoffed.

"Here comes that sweet lil' Vulpix of yours," he said.

"Didn't expect to see you here Leaf," she said.

My cheeks were a bit red. "Didn't expect to see you either." That was a lie.

"How was the truce?" She asked.

"You are totally going to go down first," I said casually.

"In your dreams," she replied.

Spin laughed. "You both came with the same plan and had the same result."

I looked at her and she looked at me. We glared at each other. I grabbed the butter knife on the table next to me and held it out. She had a fork.

Spin just started to laugh more. "A fork and a butter knife," he stopped for air. "How scary."

I turned the knife towards him and Flare did the same. He looked at us with unimpressed looks. He wasn't amused at all.

"With the state of your minds you'd be lucky to last five minutes," he said.

There was something about her. Something different from all the females I had met before. Life is cruel in this way. If you like someone life is going to make it impossible. _To be honest I enjoyed her company, right? No, that's now how you murder someone. This task seemed so easy until I met her. What had changed?_ Spin knew something I didn't. He stood there with his stupid smirk. I couldn't think straight. He was right about one thing. I don't have the mental stability to kill her.

"You know," Spin started. "I used to hunt down people. There is an entire story." He walked over to the front and flipped the sign to closed. He then locked the doors. "A story of how a young Spinda lost his way. He had so much, but he gained nothing."

"What's the point of all this?" I asked.

He threw the knife in his hand past my head. I flinched a little as I heard it hit the wall. Next, he rolled down the blinds.

"To teach you something," he replied.

"How is any of this going to be helpful?" Flare asked.

"I told you; I will teach you something," he grabbed a chair and brought it to our table. "Sit your selves down," he said.

We both sat down in unison. After his knife throw, which was more accurate than mine, neither of us wanted to anger him.

"I've never told anyone my story before. Something I always wanted to say, but I fear the truth," he said.

He then began to tell us his story. He was an average Spinda at first. He went through school and managed to quickly get a job after his studies were done. He said he worked for a powerful investor. He made it up the chain of command extremely fast. At first, his ego blinded him. He didn't see that the greedy Pokemon was using him. He was the head of operations, or at least what he was labeled as. He did task after task that he was given. They started with small things such as getting coffee or new supplies. Then they became more extreme. He was blinded by the money. He wanted more. The risk and chance were nothing in comparison. Then he met a girl. A sweet girl named Lily. Lily changed the way he thought of things. He didn't want to tell her the truth about his job. He hoped that he could escape it at some point but never had the chance. One day Lily found out about his shenanigans and begged him to stop. He agreed and went to see the investor. The investor threatened him. The investor tested his loyalty by having him kill a 'friend' the investor had. Spin did as he was told, but Lily could tell that he was the murderer. She looked up into his eyes and didn't speak to him. He never saw Lily again. All he was left with was his money. The money didn't bring him joy and no amount of spending or giving will change anything. He tried to make up by giving all of his extra money away, but it never satisfied his heart. Six years after his first victim, he was demoted and only served as a normal aide. Four years after that, the investor died. He had most of his money given to his spoiled children. Spin then opened up this cafe in hopes that he could start over. A chance long gone.

His story kind of made me sad. It's been ten years from when this place first opened. Spin was decently aged. I didn't want to describe him as old, but he isn't young either. His story had nothing in those twenty years. I think the Spinda spent most of that time serving customers.

"What kind of Pokemon was Lily?" Flare asked.

Spinda looked up and growled. He took a step towards her with his hands in a ball shape. "It shouldn't matter to you!"

That question seemed to enrage him. I assume Lily isn't a Spinda. He wouldn't act that way otherwise.

"You both cant realize all the things you don't have unless you change," he said. Spin was once again calm. "I'll be honest. I miss her. She was the greatest thing I ever had," he sighed.

"What's the lesson?" I asked.

He turned away from us both. "Remain seated," he said. Spin got up and went into the back of the kitchen.

I looked up at Flame. She didn't seem very joyful. That story was rather depressing. _Money was what made the world go round, right? Why does the money not make him happy? It doesn't make sense._

He came back from the kitchen and placed down a cake on the table. After he put down two cups of lemonade.

"I prefer tea," Flare said.

"It's free don't be spoiled," he replied. "Besides, it still has less sugar than your tea."

He cut two slices out of the cake and gave it to us. The cake was a simple circle. I picked up the fork on the napkin. I was kind of hungry, but it was cake. It wasn't bad to indulge sometimes right? I took a piece off and ate it. The cake was vanilla with chocolate icing. I finished the cake in silence. Flare must have done the same thing because she didn't have any cake left either. Spin seemed kind of pissed.

"Talk to each other," he said.

"Only when he's dead," Flare said.

I rolled my eyes. "I have a preference not to be dead."

"Too bad," she replied. "Not your choice."

"Funny how we both have similar watches," I said.

"What did you steal that too?"

"No need, those guards still wouldn't see me."

"Not the smartest knives in the drawers."

"Your boss needs to make security better."

"He's stubborn and will not figure that out. He thinks a gun can solve all problems."

"Guns can solve a lot of things. Not very discretely, but they work."

"My ass."

She quickly grabbed her knife and put it up to my throat. Luckily, Spin was prepared. He had stopped her knife with a fork.

"No blood in my cafe," he said.

She sent Spin a death glare and put the knife away.

"Now then," he continued. "I want you both to have peace."

"I don't have time for this," Flare said, as she stormed out.

Spin didn't do anything. He just looked down, disappointed. "I wish you saw what I saw,"

"What did you see?" I asked.

He looked up at me. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said coldly.

"Whole lot of nothing," I said. I left through the door and closed it behind me. Looked both ways on the street. Seemed rather empty. I proceeded to walk downtown. It was only a five-block walk. Flare was sitting down on a bench.

"We should go on a walk again," she said.

I nodded. "Because it went so well last time."

She shrugged. "Isn't going to hurt,"

We walked in awkward silence down the street. Then, she started to hum "Dialga's Fight To Finish". It was an old song that came back from when guilds were around. It's tied to the legend of a human turned Pokemon. I started to hum along too. It was harmonious and nice. When the song ended she finally broke the silence.

"Most people don't know that song," she said.

I nodded. "It's one of my favorites."

She smiled. "I always liked the story too. A Pikachu with a need for redemption and an Eevee with a secret."

"It's a very good story."

"Too bad we don't get second chances."

"Spin told us to find a way out."

"I don't care what he has to say," she replied.

Silence fell again. I wasn't sure what to do and my emotions were all messed up. I continued to walk, unsure of our destination.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"I was following you," I replied.

"Oh, I thought you had a plan."

"Nope."

"Well I'll lead then."

"Sure"

For some reason, I wished that our conversations were not so bland. It wasn't nice or fun this way. I followed her and didn't ask questions. Strange how I trusted her. _She wants me dead and I trust her, why do I trust her?_ We had walked for twenty minutes and we were on the bad side of town now. Less housing, less hospitality, less color, less modern. It wasn't that pretty.

"This way," she said, as she pointed towards a warehouse.

"Umm," I said

"Don't be scaredy snake."

"If you say so." I shrugged.

We went into the average warehouse on the bad side of town. It had tons of useless junk and items. Almost every box had a big Mallay Co. logos on them.

"Funny how we are here," I said.

"How funny indeed," a mysterious voice said.


	4. The Truth

~~[Alexa is Hunter the Weavile's OC]~~

I turned around to see a menacing Weavile. She was dressed in black and had an uncaring look to her eyes. I think she was one of those street mercenaries, but why was she here. Flare pushed me onto the ground.

"No hard feelings, but I was having so much trouble with killing you. No, it wasn't fair that I brought in a third party," she said.

I rolled my eyes. _Well here is my death bed._

"You're lucky today," the Weavile said.

"Make this quick," Flare interrupted.

Weavile glanced at her, unhappy. "Fine, choose a way to die."

"Can I pick Z, none of the above?" I asked.

She showed me her claws. They were deadly sharp. _A witty comment now?! _ Flare watched from a distance while Weavile closed in.

"I would prefer this to be far more professional, but it seems my client is impatient," she said.

"Artemis, hurry up!" Flare shouted.

Artemis glanced back and grabbed her shiv. "I always get what I desire. Blood or money." I had done business with Artemis before. Was her real name Alexa? I didn't get any more time to think when a gunshot was fired. I looked towards my left to see Spin. He was still holding the gun up.

"Why hello Alexa," Spin said.

"Umm, I don't know him," she quickly retorted.

"Don't lie Alexa, I helped you out a few years back."

Alexa's once professional stance had dissipated. "Hey, about that," she muttered.

"Keep the Snivy alive and I'll call things even."

She looked at Flare and looked away. "Looks like I'm done here."

"Where the hell are you going?" Flare asked, confused.

"Let's say I owe Spin," Alexa trailed off.

"I couldn't let blood be spilled. I can't let history be a broken record," Spin said.

"What?" Flare asked.

"You have legs Leafstorm, get up," he said.

I got up, embarrassed. All I saw was Flare's death glare. It looks could kill, this would be the perfect moment. Spin ignored her glare and wasn't intimidated at all. I saw a tear fall from his eye. He just turned around and walked out. He didn't say or do anything else. Something upset him, but I'm not sure what. _Why was he so unstable?_ After, Flare walked over to me. She looked annoyed, angry, sad, and happy. She held her butterfly knife up to my neck. Things stayed like that for a second.

"I just wanna move on," she said.

"Then do it," I said.

The knife came closer to my neck. She growled and looked right into my eyes. I had not noticed her blue eyes before. That was a really interesting color for a Vulpix. I also noticed how her fur had a nice shine.

"Your eyes are blue," I said.

"You going to make fun of them now?" She mumbled.

"I actually think they're pretty," I said. I stopped at those words and mentally slapped myself.

Flare seemed just as surprised as I was. The knife touched my scales. And I grimaced a little bit, even though she hadn't pierced my scales. She tossed her knife aside and just lied down next to me.

"You monster," she said to me. "You make this so much harder."

I laughed a bit. "Says the one who hires a third party."

"Well at least I don't bring a one-Pokemon army as backup!" She yelled.

"He's just a Spinda," I said.

"A Spinda with the strength of a hundred Spinda."

I got up and walked over to her knife. I picked it up and admired it. Nice sharp edge and not a sign of blood at all. This was almost never used. She took a more defensive approach and walked over. I handed her the knife.

"Take it, I will not stab you," I said.

Flare took her knife and put it away. "I really don't get why it's so hard to kill," she muttered.

I sighed. "I think you could kill someone else without any problems."

"Really? I don't like death. Maybe I'm just a bad assassin."

"Death is permanent. I can see why you don't like it."

"Funny, I haven't talked to someone else this long in a while."

"Is life punishing us?" I asked.

She looked at me with a frown. "Garry doesn't care and neither does Daniel."

"Those brothers are crazy."

"I'm going to leave now. This is depressing." She left me in the darkness, but stopped at the door. "I'll see you tomorrow at Spin's, okay?"

"Yea," I muttered.

As soon as she left I ran out. "Wait!" I yelled, but she was already gone.

For a Vulpix she moved very fast. This part of town was mostly industrial. I'm not even sure how she could have disappeared so easily. I checked my watch and noted the time. It was around 2:00. That gave me lots of time to do whatever I wanted. Only problem was that I had nothing to do. The only option left was to go to work. I walked down the street to the closest Drifblim Flying Services. The place wasn't kept up as well as the others. I walked up to the front and looked around.

"Latene Street?" I asked the young Drifblim.

He looked at me without emotion and simply waited. I put the correct amount of Poke on his desk. He gave me my ticket and went back to reading his magazine. A normal looking Drifblim came up to me and bowed.

"Don't worry, our Drifblim is just grouchy and Drifblim don't really fly," the female Drifblim said.

I nodded. "Just going with the flow."

She nodded. "How is Shadow?"

"The Drifblim?"

"Yea, he has talked about you."

"Not sure, I never talk with him much."

She frowned and pouted a bit. "Let's get going."

We flied to Latene Street. The sky looked average and the winds were normal. Everything was normal, but it didn't feel normal. The once welcoming office building seemed more like a constraint. I walked through the automatic door and went to the elevator. I went to put my key in and realized that this was the wrong key. Strange, I don't recall ever having this key. I had the elevator take me to the fourteenth floor instead. I walked out and silently crept through the cubicle-filled room. I entered the second stair well and proceeded to my destination. The door was locked, so I needed to take a paperclip from downstairs. I easily picked The cheap lock and entered.

"Guess the bet is still on," Mr. Garry said.

"This process is slower than normal," the mystery voice said.

"I would agree."

"How about we make things more interesting."

"How about we invite some other sources."

"It doesn't matter to Leaf, he does what he's told."

"Too bad the winner will die after."

They both had cold-hearted laughs that crept down my spine.

"I won last time," Mr. Garry said.

"That Pikachu of yours had some major luck," replied the voice.

"It's all a gamble. Every little thing is a gamble."

"If I win, I'm going to dispose of Flare. She knows too much."

"What a waste. They'd most likely be useful for a few more missions."

"Dad's beach house is mine and your inability to let go is why I will have it."

To them we were just chess pieces. A tool they could use for their own gain. This was all over a beach house. I knew the years of solitude and greed had corrupted Garry. I never knew it was this bad. I gently closed the door and ran down the stairs. Seemed life the entire past I knew was falling apart. They just tossed Pokemon aside when they were done. Always knew that, but I thought they knew loyalty. The other one must has been Daniel, Garry's brother. I opened the door on the ground floor and continued to run. Running down stairs wasn't the smartest idea, but I didn't care. I think I knew it would come to this. I just ignored it for a long time. Why did I have to be an assassin? Something moved in the shadows of the alley. The hooded figure walked up to me. I could tell it was Spin by the ears with his hood on.

"You're not the first one to do the dirty work," he started. "I knew you what was going to happen. Only thing I didn't expect was her."

"What do you mean? The old advisor quit, right?" I said

"He was killed and replaced with a paying customer," He replied.

"Paying?"

"How much would an assassin or criminal pay to be someone else."

"How do you know this?"

"You're not the first employee. That Pikachu died soon after the demise of Daniel's agent," he said.

"Seems like I lose either way."

"They're both going to send more assassins to kill the other. It may only be an hour before one of those contractors get the job."

"Where is Flare?" Was my voice full of worry and care?

Spin gave me a goofy smile. "Someone seems to be infatuated," he said.

My cheeks turned red. "No, I just want the fight to be between us."

Spin rolled his eyes and walked on the sidewalk. He took off his hood and pulled a pack of Oran Gummies out of his pocket. Why did he have those?

"You're eating at a time like this?"

"Yes, it's rather calming," he replied.

Spin was rather confusing. He was either deadly serious or completely childish. He can't be in the middle. I was just following him. How could I trust him? How could I trust anyone? What should I do?

"Where are we going?" I spoke up.

"We are walking to consult with her."

"Her?"

"Flare is quite pretty," he said.

"Yea." I froze after that came out of my mouth.

"Even now that you realize the truth, you still can't see it."

"I can see just fine," I argued, with anger in my voice.

Spin didn't say anything after, he just continued to walk... and eat Oran Gummies. I'm not sure why his constant eating of the Gummies ticked me off. Gummy after gummy. I didn't see him, but I knew he was eating those gummies. Maybe I was just annoyed at Spin. I could no longer stand his annoying insinuations. Am I angry because it's true or false? Perhaps Spin was just plain annoying.

"Why are we at the cafe?" I asked.

"She should be inside," he replied.

I opened the door and looked inside. She was there sitting at a table. Papers were scattered all over the table. I could just feel the general vibe of sadness.

"Turns out neither of us can win," she said.

"I'm glad I didn't have to show you papers," Spin said.

"How did you get them?" I asked.

"Well," he started. "Old habits die hard or they don't die."

"A lot of the employees are subjected to experimental material without knowing," she said. "This in the water, that in the coffee, and something injected. When you're an assassin just because of some unknown formulas."

"I've read them. I don't need to see it a second time," Spin said.

"Strength, agility, keen senses, and intelligence. I don't remember it," she said.

A tear fell from her eye. Spin walked over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" She cried.

"Flare," Spin said.

"And it's not even my real name," she replied.

"You're not her anymore."

"It's important to note everything I am is a lie."

"You may have been a Sarah at one time."

Spin walked back. He seemed tense. He isn't the greatest at showing sympathy.

"You have two choices. Do you choose to let her sit alone or sit with someone," he whispered.

I just stood there. What stopped me from sitting down? Garry wasn't a concern of mine anymore. He didn't care. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. _Is this betrayal?_ I took the seat across from her.

"Hey," I said.

"Funny how we are all puppets," she said.

"I think the strings are cut," I replied.

"We are nothing then."

"What is broken can be reforged."

"We both know there's no turning back,"

"The whole time he planned on disposing me. He betrayed me."

Garry plans to betray me. Not right now, but soon. I wonder why karma hasn't caught up with them.

"I'm sure it's another cruel thing of life. Not like I can kill him and get away with it."

"You need an alibi."

She stood up. "It's game over. We can't win," she yelled.

"Maybe we can run away from it?"

"There is no running, but I'm going down fighting."

"Side by side?"

She sent me a glare. "Why should I trust you?"

"No reasons for you to trust me yet. Maybe I can make one."

"I guess you're not as bad as I thought."

I smiled. "Guess we need a plan."

Spin rushed back to the table and almost knocked it over. "That's where I can help," he said.

We both gave him a strange look. He was so inconsistent. I wonder how he was an assassin.

"Let's back track. What is our alibi?" I asked.

"I can be your alibi," he said.

"Well what is our alibi?" Flare asked.

"You were here in the cafe," Spin said.

"Having a nice talk?" I asked.

"I can create the illusion that you are here," he replied.

"Who are we going to kill?" I asked.

"Our bosses," she replied.

"Yea, but they would expect us to kill them."

"They won't suspect the opposite assassin."

"Only if we give them good reason not to."

"What do they want the most?"

"More money, more control, and his brother's head."

"That will be our reasoning. It's perfect for the greedy little suckers."

"I always knew I was going to have to kill someone. I'm glad it's not you."

She smiled. "This could be the start of something new."

"Or the end of something old."

We planned late into the night. Where guards were located, what route to take, the alibi, the timing, and our escape. This was all planned. Our bosses had made their statements. Now we had a statement of our own. A voice without strings behind it. We could choose our own fate. Something had changed today. Was the change for better or worse? Perhaps having an ally is good. I wouldn't mind being friends. So hard to tell after becoming an assassin. What was a friend? I guess it doesn't matter. All that matters is that we finish our new goal. Kill the boss. This is my new mission.


	5. The End

I woke up with a jolt. Spin had his paw on me. The blinds were blocking the little light from the rising sun. I had fallen asleep in the booth. I found it strange that I had a blanket over me. Did Spin do that? I didn't see Flare across from me, but I think she may have moved. We had planned for today. I can only hope it works. _It should work, right? Both of us need to succeed for either of us to get out. Perhaps we should have made a better plan. No, this is the best plan._

"Are you ready?" Spin asked.

"As I'll ever be," I replied. "Did you put this blanket on me?"

"No, Flare did that," he replied.

"Ohh."

"I'll wake her up now too."

Flare had fallen asleep in another booth. She looked calm and actually kinda cute. I would have gotten a slap to the face if I said it. That would be crossing over the line for allies. The word ally didn't seem quite right. Acquaintances isn't right either. She moved a bit and got up.

"Hey Leaf," she said.

"Hey," I responded. _ I really need to work on that talking part._

"I guess this is it," she laughed.

"Yeah."

"You should finish up," Spin said.

"Will do," I replied.

We both grabbed gloves, a hoodie, and our knifes. Spin was watching a reasonable distance away. He still seemed upset about something.

"You know, Leaf," Flare said.

"What?" I asked.

"I want to do something first. It's just in case we fail."

She gave me a quick kiss on the lips. It wasn't enough time for me to respond because she dashed out right after. I did notice that Spin was smiling. Perhaps the adrenaline had gone to her head or was Spin right. I exited right after and checked my cloak. I should save it for when I really need it. It failed me last time I spammed it. It was a bit strange walking all the way to Mallay Co. Suprising how many people chose to stay away. I wouldn't trust anyone in a hoodie this early in the morning. Just don't trust people in hoodies. The exchange was confusing. _The kiss was forced, but I don't feel like it was bad. She just got a little excited, right? Not the most romantic exchange._ Being flawed and confused made me feel more like a Pokemon.

My journey ended when I was at the side of Mallay Co. This door was mainly used by janitors to throw stuff out. No cameras. The next part was waiting. According to Flare someone is going to toss out new junk from the mail. I turned my cloak on and waited. The feeling of worry crept on me as I waited. _Did she lie? A_ Delphox finally opened the door and I slipped inside. The next step was to disable the camera system. I was stealthed, but I needed to interact with some other things. I snuck into the room with the camera system. Flare said that the guy doesn't get here until late, but of course he is on time today. I removed my stealth and cut the wire to the camera above the door. The man at the screens calmly drank his coffee. Amazing how someone was so oblivious. I came up behind him and realized he was using the primary screen to play chess against the computer. I took the mop from behind him and smacked it on his head. The Umbreon fell to the floor unconscious. I put the mop back and placed him on the ground. I then broke one of the legs of the chair. He will be confused when he gets up. I just hope he doesn't wake up soon.

I unplugged the wires to the cameras and turned off the recording system for good measure. I cloaked again and walked to the elevator. I had to wait again. _Grrr, I hated waiting. Is that new? I had patience before, right? _When the door finally opened I snuck inside and opened the panel to the top of the elevator. I pulled myself up with my vines and sat on top. More freakin' patience. _What's going on with me? I never did these things before. _Normally television shows make murder suspenseful and action-packed. This was so boring and tedious. I had to wait until someone went to the fifteenth floor. I could use the top of the elevator to get on the exclusive floor. It was rather dark and I was scared of falling off or getting caught by one of the many machinery. I waited with the little light I had. _Could I really escape my past? Why am I doing this? I wasn't doing this for myself. I was doing it for her! _The elevator finally went up and I carefully wrapped my vine onto the surrounding environment. I carefully wedged open the door with a metal bar from my bag. I looked around the room. Her boss was doing some form of paper work. He was furiously writing. I snuck up behind him and grabbed my knife. I raised my knife and twirled it around. I felt guilt, but it can't be compared to the guilt I felt with Flare.

This seemed all too easy. I reflected on everything I had done. _I was guilty. Guilty of lying, guilty of swindling, guilty of stealing, and now guilty of murder_. I stabbed him right in the back. I pulled my knife out of him and concealed it. The blood was unpleasant and revolting. It's dark red color spread around. I looked away and went back to the elevator. I removed the bar and the door shut with a clang. _I wish to never see that color ever again. The color of blood. _ I gracefully sat down and thought. My fear of getting caught was growing. _Every small detail is important. If I failed to give evidence everything would be fine. _ The elevator almost instantly started to move and it went to the third floor. I dropped inside and checked around. I pressed the first floor and cloaked.

The door opened and Pokemon looked my way._ I guess an empty elevator is kind of weird._ I carefully walked past them while avoiding detection. I needed somewhere to reappear. I went down a nearby alley way and uncloaked. It bothered me that it was that easy. Far too easy. I took off the hood and looked back to the streets. I went back and calmly walked down to Spin's Cafe. I felt very anxious and nervous. _What was the difference between the two? Dang it, those are basically the same thing. _I opened the door and saw Flare sitting down at a table waiting for me. Even though she had done something bad, she looked cute and innocent. _Heh, innocent not so much. _ She was almost in tears. I tapped her on the shoulder and smiled. She hugged me.

"We're such horrible Pokemon," she mumbled.

"Well let's hope we can change," I replied.

Spin came into the room, but only popped his head around the corner. Sometimes all I wanted to do was give him a good punch. _That's violent, don't do that._

"I wanna know something," she said. "How do you feel about me?"

She looked amazing. Her eyes had this sparkle and her fur shined. I was scared of my next actions. Some part of me told me to take a chance.

"You make me feel alive. You are my light in the darkness. So I do love you," I said.

"Thanks, I love you too. We may not have met in the most romantic way, but I do love you."

My heart was racing. Perhaps redemption is possible. Without Garry I was free. _Hey return the favor! _I kissed her on the lips in return for her earlier kiss. I will admit our tongues may have wandered. I was glad Spin left before that otherwise I might have punched him for being a creep. We left Spin's place holding hand and paw. The afternoon beat down as we walked to her place. We never got caught for our actions. Neither did we pay a price. Life gave us a freebie and we most certainly enjoyed the rest of our life.


End file.
